Las Vegas sheriff: Investigation into mass shooting shows no conspiracy or second gunman

Several months after the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, police say they are closing their investigation without answering the key question: What drove a gunman to unleash gunfire that killed 58 people and wounded hundreds more? (Aug. 3)
AP

In this April 1, 2018 file photo, people attend a vigil for victims and survivors of a mass shooting in Las Vegas.(Photo: John Locher, AP)

Even after a 10-month investigation, much will forever remain unknown about the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history, most notably the reason behind it.

But the massacre does appear to have been the work of one single, troubled individual.

Las Vegas Sheriff Joe Lombardo said Friday that an investigation into the rampage shows no evidence of conspiracy or a second gunman.

Lombardo also said the lengthy investigation could not determine "definitely'' the motive of shooter Stephen Paddock, who was found dead from a self-inflicted gun shot in a suite at the Mandalay Bay hotel.

During a country music festival on Oct. 1., 58 people were killed and more than 800 were injured in the shooting spree.

The gunfire came from 32nd-floor windows into a crowd of 22,000 people at the Route 91 Harvest Festival across Las Vegas Boulevard.

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Sheriff Joseph Lombardo of the Las Vegas Metropolitan Police Department releases a timeline of the deadliest mass shooting in U.S. history.
USA TODAY

“What we have been able to answer are the questions of who, what, when, where and how,” Lombardo said. “What we have not been able to definitively answer is ... why Stephen Paddock committed this act.”

Interviews with his primary care physician and one of his brothers, however, painted a picture of a disturbed person who may have been afflicted with mental illness.

The report shows the Las Vegas doctor, who was not named, told FBI agents that Paddock might have had bipolar disorder. He also said Paddock exhibited "odd'' behavior and "little emotion,'' and did not want to discuss with him the issue of bipolar disorder.

The doctor, who last saw Paddock a year before the attack, also told investigators that Paddock refused antidepressants but accepted prescriptions for anxiety medication.

Lombardo said the FBI’s Behavioral Analysis Unit is expected to release a psychological profile of Paddock later this year. The gunman did not leave any written material that would provide an explanation for his actions.

The report quotes the shooter's brother, Bruce Paddock, as saying he believed his sibling had “mental illness and was paranoid and delusional.” Bruce Paddock also said they had not spoken in more than 10 years.

“Today it is still incredibly difficult to try to comprehend this senseless act of violence,” Lombardo said.

The analysis revealed Paddock spent $1.5 million over two years, including debts paid to casinos. A report on 14 of his bank accounts showed the gunman had $2.1 million by September 2015, but that total had dwindled to $530,000 two years later.

Lombardo described Paddock as a reclusive, high-stakes gambler who had not been “as successful in the gambling as he was in the previous years.”

The report indicated Paddock paid $600,000 to casinos and more than $170,000 to credit card companies while spending close to $95,000 in firearms and related costs.

An investigation into the Oct. 1 massacre in Las Vegas could not determine a motive for gunman Stephen Paddock's shooting rampage.(Photo: AP)

In a 911 audio made public by the Las Vegas police in June, screams and pleas for help can be heard during the rampage, as well as descriptions of people falling amid rapid gunfire.

"Shots fired! Shots fired! Hurry!” a woman screams, crying as a dispatcher asks where she is and the call disconnects. The dispatcher calls back and another woman answers.

“Machine guns are being fired into the Route 91 festival,” she says. “It’s coming from above, I would assume from the Mandalay Bay side over by the Luxor.”